Scarecrow's 14TGE

scarecrow · Post by **scarecrow** » Tue Jan 11, 2011 8:31 pm

The Weber was delivered to the specialist for rebuilding today - £90 quoted which seems reasonable...

Tomorrow I'm off to get a few prices for swapping the Weber and its manifold into the 14 and moding the linkages, and if needed a head gasket and skim. My wallet just grabbed my Polynesian navigation spheres.

The old tzd will have to find a new home in a couple of months I think

I can't justify running two cars, and I think my Sis. would like her drive back. I suppose if anyone wanted it with a bit of mot and tax left... I guess a couple of hundred would do it.

electrokid · Post by **electrokid** » Wed Jan 12, 2011 12:18 am

with a bit of mot and tax left...

A bit of MOT is good - gives a bit of time to sort anything out. Mine had just under 3 months MOT when I bought it - enough time to bring it up to scratch even though I was on a tight budget at the time.

scarecrow · Post by **scarecrow** » Mon Jan 17, 2011 10:41 am

The Carb has been serviced (Weber Z something or other), just have to get it fitted now.

The tzd I will run until it breaks or the mot runs out, then I'll have to sell it for parts or scrap

I've just scared myself working out the costs so far

Does anyone want to give me an estimate for fitting a Carb, inlet manifold and possibly replacing a cylinder head on a k1g tu3 14? I'd be happy to help, but I don't have a place to do the work, or much confidence in my mechanical skills... I could also throw in a tzd that runs well but is in a rough condition.

Post by **mat_fenwick** » Mon Jan 17, 2011 3:08 pm

Fancy a trip to Wales?

And if you do scrap the TZD can I have first dibs on the splitter please?

scarecrow · Post by **scarecrow** » Mon Jan 17, 2011 6:47 pm

Splitter is yours Mat. Does it come off easily? I'd better make sure that it's in one piece too - come to think of it I've never actually noticed that it's even there. The front of the car was damaged in an accident a while ago... I'll check in the morning.

I'd be very pleased if you'd take a look at the 14, thanks! I think I need to gather a few more bits (AX GT air filter and a coupling conversion kit) - and maybe Brian would let me have a copy of the relevant page(s) from his Weber bible? I don't know if there's a method for telling definitively that there's a problem with the head, because I could buy a refurbished one that we could swap straight in, but I don't fancy spending the £300 on head-stuff as well, if I don't have to.

When would be a good time for you?

Post by **mat_fenwick** » Mon Jan 17, 2011 8:58 pm

Remind me, what makes you think there may be a head problem? (Apart from not getting enough)

I'd be reluctant to say we'll change the HG in a weekend as you never know what you'll find when you take it off...

Carb and manifold swap should be simple enough though.

Mike E (uk) · Post by **Mike E (uk)** » Mon Jan 17, 2011 10:48 pm

I think I have a K&N AX GT air filter in the garage.

It made my 205 go very well a few years ago.

Will try to find it.

Mike

scarecrow · Post by **scarecrow** » Tue Jan 18, 2011 5:33 pm

That would be great Mike - thanks.

scarecrow · Post by **scarecrow** » Tue Jan 18, 2011 5:45 pm

mat_fenwick wrote:Remind me, what makes you think there may be a head problem? (Apart from not getting enough)

I'd be reluctant to say we'll change the HG in a weekend as you never know what you'll find when you take it off...

Carb and manifold swap should be simple enough though.

I am suspicious of the head as the car loses water (slowly), and there seems to be a fair bit of water vapour in the exhaust. If I leave it ticking over for half an hour a puddle forms beneath the tail pipe. I have had a compression test which was fine, but another mechanic said the top radiator hose felt a little hard. Having said that, I've chased one of Medway Citroen's tzd's up a dual carriageway without any problems (and kept up). The worst thing was when I went on a bit of a run one day and the engine developed a misfire - though not on the motorway, so I guessed that the extra speed on the motorway meant the increased airflow was keeping the engine cool. The fan kicks in properly and the thermostat was replaced.

When I first went to see the car it was a non-runner due to a fuel pump problem, and an idiot who had tried to get it going previously had fixed the throttle on the carb wide open, so when I got it going the engine very briefly maxed out and I wondered if that weakened the gasket.

To be fair the car pulls very well normally - so it's mainly the invisible water loss that concerns me.

scarecrow · Post by **scarecrow** » Tue Jan 18, 2011 5:49 pm

mat_fenwick wrote:Fancy a trip to Wales?

And if you do scrap the TZD can I have first dibs on the splitter please?

As I thought there's no splitter, sorry Mat. I guess it must have got damaged in the shunt. If you need anything else let me know, but most panels are dented. The hatch is okay, but not a lot of use to you I'd guess.

electrokid · Post by **electrokid** » Tue Jan 18, 2011 8:01 pm

and maybe Brian would let me have a copy of the relevant page(s) from his Weber bible?

No probs - I'll need to know the type number of the carb from the bottom flange where it's bolted to the manifold.

If I leave it ticking over for half an hour a puddle forms beneath the tail pipe.

For the first quarter hour that's normal - exhaust contains water vapour as combustion products and that condenses in the exhaust system. If you move it after a quarter hour and park it somewhere different (and the weather's not too cold for the exhaust system to warm up) does it still puddle ?

Compression test says the HG is ok for now.

so when I got it going the engine very briefly maxed out and I wondered if that weakened the gasket.

That happened to a Metro of mine when a vacuum pipe fell off and jammed the throttle full open - it was at full bore / no load for no more than 20 seconds (it's surprising how quickly you can reverse into a parking space when you have to

)

It was running very rough on the way home so I bought a 2nd hand head and new gasket on the way home. With the new head and gasket fitted it wouldn't start at all. Checked / replaced everything I could think of and still no joy - until for some reason I got the tappet clearance too large on one cylinder - then it started and spluttered along on one cylinder.

So I gave all the tappets a quarter-inch gap and it started and ran smoothly

I went around adjusting all the tappets until it started coughing and then eased the adjustments back to 'minimum gap for correct operation' - most were at least twice the gap they should have been.

I figured I'd damaged the camshaft but never did any further investigation - it ran ok and it was only a Metro

Post by **mat_fenwick** » Tue Jan 18, 2011 8:55 pm

No worries about the splitter, just wondered...

There *may* be a small crack in the head between a waterway and an exhaust port, but that's about the only source of invisible water loss I can think of that would require head removal. Far more likely IMO is a small leak somewhere only when hot and pressurised that is evaporating before you can see it. You can get a pressure test done on the cooling system that may pinpoint the leak.

sdelasal · Post by **sdelasal** » Tue Jan 18, 2011 10:07 pm

Steve - one sign of a coolant leak into the cylinder is that one of the spark plugs is 'steam cleaned' white - while the others are a healthy tan colour. In similar situation, i've seen comments to ask a garage to do a 'sniffer test', where they stick a probe into the radiator and sniff for exhaust gas. Finally,, as mat says, a leak could be from anywhere - the heater matrix for example! Look for signs of crusty residue as the coolant fluid evaporates. I also have a test pump which can be used to pressurize the cold cooling system - replaces the rad cap - can be useful for finding small leaks. You're welcome to borrow it. Alternatively, a garage could perform the test. Steve

Post by **mat_fenwick** » Tue Jan 18, 2011 10:14 pm

sdelasal wrote:one sign of a coolant leak into the cylinder is that one of the spark plugs is 'steam cleaned' white - while the others are a healthy tan colour.

He should be alright on that front (but can't hurt to check) as the compression test was OK - do you have the actual readings still?

scarecrow · Post by **scarecrow** » Wed Jan 19, 2011 8:19 am

Hmmmmm - I may be confusing everyone including myself! I now believe that the compression test is something different to the test Steve has described. The one I had tested the coolant system by pumping it up from the radiator cap. This is different from a compression test, perhaps?

One area that stands out for me is the part beneath the Carb (some kind of bridge between the inlet manifold and the Carb) which has coolant pipes attached to it. This part has a lot of yellow film around it.

I guess the main reason I'm blaming the HG is that it had to have a new one about ten years ago according to the service history. Matched with my innate pessimism and the coolant loss I've decided to blame the HG!

So, I think I should just put the Carb on and let the extra performance test the HG